Samson and Delilah (1949) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error When strongman Samson rejects the love of the beautiful Philistine woman Delilah, she seeks vengeance that brings horrible consequences they both regret. Director: a list of 24 titles created 16 Jan 2013 a list of 37 titles created 22 Aug 2014 a list of 30 titles created 18 Mar 2015 a list of 35 images created 18 Jun 2015 a list of 26 titles created 11 months ago Title: Samson and Delilah (1949) 6.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

See more awards » Photos In the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth but is tormented by his guilty conscience afterwards. Director: Henry Koster In 1st century Rome, Christian slave Demetrius is sent to fight in the gladiatorial arena and Emperor Caligula seeks Jesus' robe for its supposedly magical powers. Director: Delmer Daves The Egyptian Prince, Moses, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people. Director: Cecil B. DeMille A fierce Roman commander becomes infatuated with a beautiful Christian hostage and begins questioning the tyrannical leadership of the despot Emperor Nero. Directors: Mervyn LeRoy, Anthony Mann Stars: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn Barabbas, the criminal that Pontius Pilate induced the populace to vote to set free, so that Christ could be crucified, is haunted by the image of Jesus for the rest of his life.

Director: Richard Fleischer After King David sees the beautiful Bathsheba bathing from the palace roof, he enters into an adulterous affair which has tragic consequences for his family and Israel. Director: Henry King The first part tells the story of Moses leading the Jews from Egypt to the Promised Land, his receipt of the tablets and the worship of the golden calf. The second part shows the efficacy ... See full summary » Director: Cecil B. DeMille The life of Jesus Christ. Director: Nicholas Ray Beautiful Gaby meets a romantic jewel thief in the mysterious Casbah. Director: John Cromwell Directors: George Stevens, David Lean, and 1 more credit » Stars: Max von Sydow, Dorothy McGuire, Charlton Heston The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors. Director: Anthony Mann Shortly before his death in ancient Israel King David has a vision from God telling him that his younger son Solomon should succeed him as king. His other son Adonijah is unhappy and vows ...

See full summary » Director: King Vidor Edit Storyline Though his people, the Israelites, are enslaved by the Philistines, Samson, strongest man of the tribe of Dan, falls in love with the Philistine Semadar, whom he wins by virtue of a contest of strength. But Semadar betrays him, and Samson engages in a fight with her real love, Ahtur, and his soldiers. Semadar is killed, and her sister Delilah, who had loved Samson in silence, now vows vengeance against him. She plans to seduce Samson into revealing the secret of his strength and then to betray him to the Philistine leader, the Saran. Written by Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net> HISTORY'S MOST BEAUTIFUL AND TREACHEROUS WOMAN! (original print ad - all caps) Genres: January 1950 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Burt Lancaster was the original choice for Samson, but declined due to a bad back.

The assumption that he was thought too young is false for in real life Lancaster was actually the same age as Victor Mature. See more » Goofs Just after Delilah rings for her servant to bring dinner, the mike boom can be seen casting a shadow on the inside wall of her tent. See more » Quotes [first lines] Narrator : Before the dawn of history, ever since the first man discovered his soul, he has struggled against the forces that sought to enslave him. He saw the awful power of nature rage against him. The evil eye of the lightning... The terrifying voice of the thunder... The shrieking, wind-filled darkness enslaving his mind with shackles of fear. Fear bred superstition, blinding his reason. He was ridden by a host of devil gods. Human dignity perished on the altar of idolatry. And tyranny ... See more » Crazy Credits As Samson and Delilah (1949) starts, the title is written on scroll, that is opened, to be read. The remaining opening credits, after the scroll and title, are normal. Closing credits are normal, also.

See more » Connections For To Win A Bride (uncredited) " For All Your Strength Samson, You're a Fool. You Trusted Delilah " 10 July 2009 | by thinker1691 (USA) – See all my reviews Of all the movies one should have in one's library of Classics, this is one of them. The story is taken directly out of the pages of the Bible and deals with the legendary strong man who was also a Judge of his people. When taken to the big screen, one has to marvel at the beautiful color, historical setting and technical expertise of the time period. The lead of course is played by tall, handsome Victor Mature. His presence adds realism is an honorary tribute to the ancient Danite and makes for a convincing character. The ruler of the Philistines is played by George Sanders who is incredible in his 'King of the Five cities' role. Samson's principle adversary is Henry Wilcoxon, playing the Lord Ahtur, who was originally cast in the title role. The director thought him too old and passed on a great opportunity as I believe Wilcox would have been terrific as Samson.

Hedy Lamarr plays the seductive temptress and conniving Courteson, Delilah, while Angela Lansbury plays Semadar, Samson's love interest. Although Cecil B. Demille takes much literary license with the storybook Samson, it's still interesting to watch and with its memorable theme music, hauntingly inspirational. The overall result is a true Classic which no one should miss if given a chance to watch. Despite it's shortcomings, it remains as impressive today as it was in the 1950's. Highly recommended. **** 9 of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Samson and Delilah - YouTube Samson and Delilah Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Aug 17, 2011 Samson and Delilah is a 1949 film made by Paramount Pictures, produced and directed by Cecil B.

DeMille and starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr as the title characters. Angela Lansbury, George Sanders and Henry Wilcoxon are also featured. The story of Samson and Delilah is adapted from the Biblical Book of Judges. The music is mine. Obituary: Victor Mature | The Independent Obituary: Victor Mature Tuesday 10 August 1999 23:02 BST Click to follow The Independent Culture VICTOR MATURE was once billed by his studio as "a beautiful hunk of man" and in the Forties he came to personify the latest term signifying male sex-appeal - beefcake. His craggy features, with their full lips and heavily lidded eyes were more controversial - women either loved them or loathed them - and in one of his films, Wabash Avenue, the heroine Betty Grable actually calls him "fishface". But his physique made him a perfect Samson and hero of biblical epics such as The Robe. He never professed to be a great actor, and stated in 1968, "Actually, I am a golfer.

I never was an actor; ask anybody, particularly the critics." The son of an Austrian scissors-grinder and a Frenchwoman, Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1913, and was a rebellious youth, thrown out of four schools. At 15 he took his first job, as a candy salesman, and aged 20 decided to try his luck in Hollywood. To gain experience he became a student actor at the Pasadena Playhouse. After appearing in over 60 plays he was given a leading role on stage in Ben Hecht's To Quito and Back, in which he was seen by the producer Hal Roach, who was looking for an actor with the physique to play a prehistoric man in One Million BC (1940). Roach first gave him a small role as a gangster in the black comedy The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939) before starring him with Carole Landis in the caveman saga in which the pair battled gigantic reptiles. After two more films, Mature took a role on Broadway as one of the men in the life of a fashion magazine editor (Gertrude Lawrence) in the hit musical Lady in the Dark (1941).

He was described in the show as "the most beautiful hunk of man you ever saw in your life", and his performance brought him a contract with 20th Century-Fox. After playing opposite Betty Grable in Bruce Humberstone's entertaining mystery I Wake Up Screaming (1941), he was loaned to United Artists to portray the Arab lover of a gambling den-owner, Madame Gin Sling, in Joseph von Sternberg's heavily sanitised version of the stage drama The Shanghai Gesture (1941). He then made four musicals, all released in 1942: Song of the Islands and Footlight Serenade, both with Grable, Seven Days Leave, with Lucille Ball, and My Gal Sal, with Rita Hayworth. (In both this film and Song of the Islands Mature's singing voice was dubbed.) In all four films, he played cocky, self-confident heroes, but the actor displayed throughout his career an engaging degree of self-deprecating humour.

"Directors and actors who make films with one eye cocked on the Academy Award dismiss me as ham, uncured and uncurable," he once said, "and scripters find it hard to resist the temptation to take a poke at me by writing cute little scenes in which I am supposed to cavort as a strong boy of sorts. But don't get me wrong. I picked this racket and I love it." Later he would delight in telling of his attempt to join a country club that did not permit actors. "I told them, `Hell, I'm no actor and I've got 28 pictures and a scrapbook of reviews to prove it.' " With America's entry into the Second World War, Mature served 14 months of active duty prior to being cast in the service revue Tars and Spars. He returned to the screen as the tubercular "Doc" Holliday in John Ford's great western My Darling Clementine (1946) and received some of the best reviews of his career. The critic Richard Griffith wrote, Mature is hardly an obvious choice for the role of a tubercular gunman concealing under silken menace his despair at the loss of a Boston medical career.

But the performance comes off amazingly. Mr Mature's face is a basilisk, his eyes look inward; in detail of manner and appearance he successfully suggests the desperate remittance-man. Henry Hathaway's Kiss Of Death (1947) starred Mature as a thief who collaborates with the police in order to get out of prison. Time magazine said, "Mature apparently needed nothing all this time but the right kind of role." Robert Siodmak's Cry of the City (1948) was another fine thriller in which Mature was a cop who has to hunt down his former childhood friend. The following year Mature had his best remembered role in Cecil B. DeMille's spectacular Samson and Delilah (1949). Mature later described his co-star Hedy Lamarr as "not exactly a ball of fire - she just seemed to be loping along".

The film was an enormous hit though critically dismissed, Groucho Marx famously quipping, "I don't like any movie where the leading man's chest is bigger than the leading lady's." Mature had one major disagreement with his director: DeMille came up to me and said, "Victor my boy, we're ready to do the scene where you fight the lion. We have a real lion, but he's very tame, a sweet old lion. His name is Jackie. When you fight him, I'd like you to put your head in his mouth. Now don't worry - Jackie has no teeth." I said, "Mr DeMille, I don't even want to be gummed!" I did not do the stunt. Despite the film's success, subsequent roles for Mature were not distinguished - they included the Grable musical Wabash Avenue (1950), a thriller The Las Vegas Story (1952) with Jane Russell, a dull transcription of Shaw's Androcles and the Lion (1953) with Jean Simmons, and a romantic comedy with Simmons, Affair With A Stranger (1953).

Then he was cast as Demetrius, the slave whose violent nature is tamed by conversion to Christianity, in The Robe (1953), the first film released in CinemaScope. The following year he starred in a sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators, then played two villainous roles, as the soldier who becomes Pharaoh in The Egyptian (1954), and a Second World War traitor in Betrayed (1954). After the thriller Violent Saturday (1955) he left Fox to freelance. Much of his work after this was done in Europe, but they were mainly mediocre action films, including Safari (1956), Zarack (1957), The Long Haul (1957) and No Time To Die (1958). He returned to the United States to work with the veteran director Frank Borzage on China Doll (1958), a bizarre flop about a man who accidentally buys an Oriental wife, then ominously starred in Escort West (1959) for Francis D. Lyon, who specialised in directing low-budget westerns featuring fading stars.

Italy was proving a viable source of income for former Hollywood names, and Mature starred there in two historical adventures, Annibale (1960), in which he played the title role of the Carthaginian general, and I Tartari (1961), co-starring Orson Welles. After the latter Mature officially "retired" but he reappeared to endearingly parody his old screen image in Vittorio DeSica's After The Fox (1966), written by Neil Simon and starring Peter Sellers. He continued to do occasional films, including Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972), in which his performance as an ageing Mafioso was described by Esquire as "massive, vigorous, vulgar, authentic, and splendid". In the television film Samson and Delilah (1984), he played Samson's father. Asked how he felt about the role, he replied, "I'd have played Samson's mother if they'd asked me." He did not, though, need the money, since he was extremely wealthy, having invested in property, restaurants and electronics, and enjoyed life on his luxury ranch near San Diego. "I loaf very gracefully," he commented.

"There's a lot to be said for loafing if you know how to do it gracefully." Victor John Mature, actor: born Louisville, Kentucky 29 January 1913; five times married (one daughter); died San Diego, California 4 August 1999. More about: Victor Mature | American actor | Britannica.com American actor Originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year. Presented as archival content. Alternative Title: The Hunk San Diego , California Victor Mature (“The Hunk”), (born Jan. 29, 1916, Louisville , Ky.—died Aug. 4, 1999, San Diego , Calif.), American actor who was a matinee idol of the 1940s and ’50s whose most memorable roles found him bare chested and exposing his muscular physique. After attracting a fan club with his film debut in The Housekeeper’s Daughter (1939), Mature was cast as a caveman battling prehistoric creatures in One Million B.C.(1939).

He turned in a superb performance as Doc Holliday in My Darling Clementine (1946) before his standout roles in such Biblical and Roman epics as Samson and Delilah(1949), in the title role opposite Hedy Lamarr , The Robe (1953), and its sequel, Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954). In the late 1940s he starred in a number of thrillers, including Kiss of Death (1947), Moss Rose (1947), and Cry of the City (1948). EXPLORE these related biographies: John Payne (American actor) American actor, a popular leading man during the 1940s who appeared opposite Alice Faye and Betty Grable in a succession of Twentieth Century-Fox musicals. Payne attended the University of Virginia and Columbia University in New York and made his motion-picture debut in Dodsworth (1936). After working with various film companies, he joined Twentieth...

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Close Date Published: December 23, 2014 URL: Access Date: January 20, 2017 Share Samson and Delilah Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 43 out of 51 people found the following review useful: Lamarr's beauty took audience's breath away... 2 January 2000 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Hedy Lamarr took the title role of Delilah and made it her own... She was full and sparkling as the Philistine temptress, the central figure of Samson's last love story, dark and troubled when she took advantage of Samson's confidence to betray him to his enemies, repent and full of love when she sees him blinded and disgraced... Her name has since become synonymous with a voluptuous treacherous woman... Victor Mature was a mighty, troubled Samson, beset by conflicting emotions, totally dominated by a pagan woman... He teases with her, perhaps showing some smarts here for a change... He falls victim to his enemies through the love of Delilah, a sophisticated beauty with innate elegance, who beguiles him into revealing the secret of his strength... His performance was always up to the standard of Lamarr...

Together, they acted with wonderful passion and were as convincing dramatically as long-suffering Hebrews as they were Philistines drunk with victory... George Sanders, whose dignified presence was a perfect match for the Saran of Gaza, admires Samson for his strength, and envies him for the love of his people... He persuades Delilah to find out what is the source of Samson's strength so they can destroy him... "Samson and Delilah' is a film of emotion, of love, and action... It is at once a wonderful, and rich historical look at an ancient era, an excuse for beautiful and passionate music, and a thrilling climax hardly rivaled in its size and lavishness... The film is wonderful to look at, and the music is terrific... Look for Russ Tamblyn playing the little shepherd Saul... Was the above review useful to you? 46 out of 61 people found the following review useful: NOT Another run of DeMille Picture from Buffalo, New York 11 August 2004 By the time the 1940s were rolling around, Cecil B. DeMille was doing a lot less work, but the work was getting more expensive.

DeMille took off a couple of years now between films to create the opulent splendor that typifies his work. Well Samson and Delilah abounds in opulence. The color cinematography is first rate and reason enough to see the film. Of course it has the usual stilted dialog that is common in DeMille's costume work. But one has to remember that DeMille made his show business bones with David Belasco in the Edwardian era. And that's how folks talked in those Belasco plays. Acting honors in this go to George Sanders as the Saran of Gaza, Philistine ruler and sophisticated cad. This was the height of Sanders career, he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for All About Eve the same year. I think the Saran and Addison DeWitt would have understood each other very well. Angela Lansbury is the original object of Samson's lust and she does okay, but personally if you had the choice between Jessica Fletcher and Tondelayo, who would you choose? Is that ever a no-brainer. DeMille got a couple of loan-outs to play the leads. Hedy Lamarr could easily lay claim to be the most beautiful woman in the cinema.

She never had much acting skill, but all she has to do is be seductive and that no one could do better. And Victor Mature away from his home studio of 20th Century Fox where he was languishing, Samson and Delilah provided a whole new vista for him with roles in spectacle pictures where he could truly be that beautiful hunk of man. Fay Holden is good as Samson's mother. In modern times I can just hear her telling him about settling down with a good Jewish girl. Was the above review useful to you? 39 out of 50 people found the following review useful: Still worth looking at from USA 15 March 2003 Yeah...so some people may think it's corny and outdated. However, there is something about this movie, in spite of some of the poorer technical gimmicks...yet I still love it. I think that Lamarr does a great job as Delilah and don't understand why some think otherwise.I think she is/was the perfect Delilah..and Mature did a great job as Samson. Sanders was really terrific in his role and Lansbury carried out her part very well also.

Call it what you will..but I find it is still worth watching; the color, costumes, Samson knocking down the Temple.. (love that scene!Good special effects for the time.) Whatever it is..I find myself watching it every now and then and still enjoy it as much as when I first saw it.. Was the above review useful to you? 37 out of 47 people found the following review useful: Engrossing, vivid,absorbing and a tribute to the Old Testament from Clifton, NJ 18 June 1999 In 1949, I was 11years old and saw it in NYC when it was first released. My aunt Ethel, may she rest in peace, took me during Christmas vacation. I was mesmerized by it which led me to check out the story in that Chapter of the O.T. called Judges. And I remember being asked by my 6th or 7th grade teacher to do an oral report about the film before the class. I found it a bit awkward to discuss the idea of seduction at that time especially when I heard the pubescent girls giggling.

At any rate I did make that report and remember displaying the book I had bought about the film right at the theater. I estimate from age 11 to 14, I saw the film a dozen times and I'm not kidding. In my adulthood, I saw it once on free TV and rented it once for kicks. Quite honestly, I never saw a more beautiful woman than Hedy in that role. And Victor was perfect thanks to his countenance and physique. After seeing it first and then reading the story in the O.T. I came to the conclusion that the film certainly was factual and illuminating. The bible came alive thanks to the genius of Cecil B.DeMille. The special effects were brilliant, way ahead of its time. What I especially loved about this film was the haunting score by Victor Young and I do remember going out to buy it on 78 rpm disks. And I do have the radio program on cassette, "Lux Presents Hollywood-Samson and Delilah starring Mature and Lamarr.

That last scene will always stick in my mind as Samson, standing blind between the two main pillars of the Temple of Dagon, the Phillistine God,called on Jehovah to give him the strength to crush his enemies and WHAT A SCENE FOLLOWED. Good heavens, DeMille was indeed a GENIUS! I recommend the film to EVERYONE because of the amazing story, color Was the above review useful to you? 27 out of 36 people found the following review useful: Hedy Lamarr as Delilah, makes this a truly memorable film. from Lone Pine, CA 26 December 2001 Hedy Lamarr was the most beautiful woman in films. Her ability as an actress was limited, but as a femme fatale, capable of bringing down a mighty warrior, she certainly was convincing to me. The fact that Samson fell for Angela Langsbury, in the first place, was laughable. Victor Mature was a good choice, for the part of Samson. George Sanders gave the best performance; he simply had no peer, when it came to playing sophisticated, world-weary, men of wisdom.

Compare this role to his part in Rebecca, All About Eve, and you'll see what I mean. Again, just watching Hedy Lamarr, is like watching a beautiful work of art. Entertaining, old fashion Hollywood stuff. They don't make them like this anymore, and there certainly is no contemporary beauty that comes close to Hedy Lamarr. Was the above review useful to you? 19 out of 25 people found the following review useful: This Movie Is About Star POWER! from Lone Pine, CA 17 November 2005 I've seen this movie many times. It is not extraordinary in any technical manner; the magic it weaves, is about the the stars, Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature. Hedy Lamarr absolutely was a fantastic choice for this role. Imagine Betty Hutton playing Delilah; yes folks, it almost happened, and I am sure the movie would turned out to be absolutely ridiculous. Paramount did not spend big bucks for this movie, this is quite obvious; but with Lamarr as Delilah and Mature's Samson, this became a major example star-power. George Sanders won the acting laurels here.

He was the quintessential powerful man; who understood that he could never completely dominate Delilah. Angela Lansbury was O.K., in a minor role. Edith Head effectively designed the costumes for Hedy; sexy, but not overwhelming (think Irene Shariff's over the top designs for Liz Taylor in Cleopatra). Hedy was sultry, sexy in a subtle and an utterly believable way; Mature was strong, the epitome of masculine strength, and totally confident that he could control and have his way with any woman. If Paramount and DeMille had agreed to add at least $1-2,000,000 to the budget; I think the film would have even been a bigger blockbuster than it was. Folks, this films was among the top five moneymakers, after its first release. Only Gone With The Wind, The Best Years of Our Lives, Duel In The Sun, and maybe Snow White. As of 1/51, S&D was in the top money-makers of all time. Pretty good for a half-bakrd effort and investment from Paramount and DeMille. Lamarr+Mature = 9/10, in my book.

Was the above review useful to you? 24 out of 36 people found the following review useful: Lamarr = Beauty from Aversa, Italy 4 April 2001 This film is a must for everyone who loves Technicolor, great actors and great movies. Mature is a wonderful Samson but Hedy Lamarr is the definitive incarnation of beauty. She is also a very good actress and directed by De Mille gets her screen triumph. Watch this over and over again and you'll not be tired. Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 19 people found the following review useful: One of the better biblical epics.... from United Kingdom 10 November 2005 I've always loved this film. Granted, somehow it does not generate the 'huge epic' feel of some of the director's other work but it is a great film to sit down and relax in front of. Opulent costume design, good casting and excellent cinematography make this one of the better biblical epics that were being produced at the time. Victor Mature, a fine physical specimen of the male physique, seems to fit perfectly into the role of the brooding and oft-troubled Samson.

Burt Lancaster, I'm told, was the original choice for the part which I think would have been a bad choice. Although Lancaster is a better actor, on purely aesthetic grounds, the Mediterranean featured, tousle-locked Mature fitted better into the location. George Sanders is superb as the Saran of Gaza. One of the other reviewers on this website said he portrayed a "sophisticated cad" which is the best description I have ever heard of Mr Sanders in this role or any other for that matter. The absolute star of the show is the movie's other lead actor, Hedy Lamarr. This was undoubtedly the finest hour of an actress who either, curiously passed up or was just overlooked for many other leading parts. Hedy sets the screen on fire as the sensual and wicked Delilah, playing with and dragging every man on screen and in the audience in her wake. Many have questioned her acting ability. Truth is I doubt we shall ever really find out. Poor choice of scripts and directors resulted in her being pushed to the sidelines at MGM and eventually and sadly into complete obscurity. Was the above review useful to you? 18 out of 27 people found the following review useful: Why isn't this on DVD?

from United States 22 August 2005 Anyone know why this isn't available on a LEGAL USA "DVD"? All I've found is bootlegs and imports. Surely if Paramount can release "The Ten Commandments" and other DeMille pictures, then why not this wonderful piece of entertainment??? If it is a question of restoration, that is fine, but in this era of every type of film being on DVD, I don't understand why this movie is not among them. I have the Paramount laserdisc version, but of course, it doesn't compare to a DVD of the same film. Come on, Paramount, get it out! Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Pretty Impressive from Tampa, FL United States 20 May 2005 *** This review may contain spoilers *** This is one to see on a large screen. I first saw it when it came out in a theater,and the climactic scene was extremely impressive to a youngish teenager. There was a lot of coverage of the film at the time, and Life magazine had a feature on it, including a pictorial of Mr.

Demille showing Victor Mature the proper technique to use a jawbone as a weapon. Possible spoilers follow. In Demille's autobiography, he indicated how he used a sketch of a muscular hunk and a gorgeous woman to sell his underwriters on financing a Biblical film. He also related how he had his research staff scour historical documents to find a temple design that would collapse if its two main pillars were dislodged. The result is what's seen on the screen, though the collapse was aided by a few concealed charges. Hedy Lamarr made an excellent Delilah, with the best of motivations for betraying Samson: she was spurned. This was set up before the wedding feast, where she enjoyed being with Samson, even though he wasn't paying attention. (I can't think of many functional and heterosexual males who would be that obtuse.) Although Victor Mature wasn't as beefy as later male stars like Steve Reeves or Arnold Schwarzennegger, this was okay because his strength was miraculous. Naturally, the finale was spectacular, and that is what people went to theaters to see in a Demille film. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 6: Cecil B.

DeMille is God Himself in 'Samson and Delilah' | PopMatters Cecil B. DeMille is God Himself in 'Samson and Delilah' Like Samson himself, this fully restored epic film is full of marvelous strength and splendor. Cast: Victor Mature, Hedy Lamarr, Angela Lansbury US DVD: 12 Mar 2013 Amazon When it comes to filmmaking, Cecil B. DeMille is a legend among legends; the highest honor bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press bears his name. So, you may have wondered why his 1949 film, Samson & Delilah took so long to be released on DVD. As it turns out, there’s a good reason why. The film, finally debuting on DVD, is a flawed mess of biblical proportions, yet it still bears marks of DeMille’s colossal genius. Samson and Delilah, starring Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in the title roles, follows the tale of the Bible’s famed strongman and the alluring woman who seduces and betrays him.

In addition to the infamous haircutting scene (that Leonard Cohen even sang about), the motion picture brings to life Samson’s best-known exploits like his battle with a lion and the scene where he singlehandedly vanquishes an entire Philistine army with a mere donkey’s jawbone. On screen, these heroics are juggled fairly well alongside the scandalous romance and the mighty Samson’s internal battle between devout faith and unchecked compromise. Plus, the film builds to the expected, yet marvelous climax in which the wounded hero pulls down the pagan temple. While the story from Scripture remains a timeless tale, it’s obvious that DeMille’s Samson and Delilah has not stood the test of time. Some 64 years after its theatrical debut, it’s unlikely to win over modern audiences, but fans of the classics will love it. The varied production values, overblown performances, and irksome dialogue can overpower some of the satisfying spectacles that are engaging, however, Screenwriters Jesse L. Lasky Jr. and Frederick M. Frank have extrapolated a massive tale out of a few pages of Scripture and, not surprisingly, the tale feels bloated.

As the opening moments move from a four-minute musical “Overture” to an image of the planet Earth and the voice of God (played, appropriately, by DeMille), it’s clear that Samson and Delilah is an attempt at a big, iconic motion picture. The overblown film, of course, takes some liberties in adapting the Bible’s concise telling of Samson’s story in the book of Judges in the Old Testament. Yet, there are some odd twists included to the tale to add drama to its 133-minute runtime, including making sisters out of Delilah and Samson’s Philistine wife Semadar (played by a wonderfully young Angela Lansbury). Additionally, the dialogue that Lasky and Frank provided is far from believable. Many lines have an unexpected playful quality, but much of the dialogue is either heavy-handed or, to the present day viewer, even campy. To their credit, the script does succeed in providing some clever foreshadowing to major turns in the story. In the first few minutes, while spiritedly arguing with her son, Samson’s mother says, “Oh, Samson. You’re blind!” There’s nothing true-to-life or tremendous in Mature’s performance. Far from it.

Neither his appearance nor delivery makes Mature seem especially imposing, sympathetic, or convincing as Samson. When he’s not disconnected or rigid on screen, he’s cocky and blithe in a way that makes him irritating instead of likeable. Interestingly enough, when the protagonist prays aloud to Cecil B. DeMille—ahem—to God, Mature is convincing and impassioned, yet those moments are fleeting. He’s not a particularly skilled actor, but to be fair, the brawny fellow with the husky voice is potent and, if you try just hard enough, you can at least reason why Mature captivated audiences more than half a century ago. Similarly, Lamarr is adequate as Delilah. She’s fetching and sultry enough, playing the part with boldness and reservation, depending on what the scene calls for. The motion picture makes her character especially sympathetic and remorseful compared to other versions of the tale, allowing for a more three-dimensional, dynamic character. George Sanders and Henry Wilcoxon also appear in the film with overstated turns as Philistine leaders.

Even by 1949 standards, when all the performances are combined with the trying dialogue, the end result isn’t enough for the film to be absorbing, though it remains somewhat entertaining. (It’s also worth noting that, in context, debuting not too long after World War II, the themes of oppression, freedom and heroism must have been vital to the film’s original appeal.) The production rightfully earned Academy Awards for both Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. To call Samson and Delilah “showy” would be an understatement. It’s full of lavish visual appeal: extravagantly colored garments, countless extras, pleasingly ornate sets, majestic temples, grandly polished golden Philistine armor, and even the some of the makeup radiates with unnatural Technicolor shimmer. However, obviously, some of the effects used to create astonishing moments look laughably obvious and dated to contemporary eyes. To convey Samson’s strength in the wondrous action sequences, a variety of special effects are employed including stylish wire work where chariots and 400-pound brutes are tossed. Some sequences fail miserably. For example, take Samson’s battle with a lion, which relies heavily on choppy editing.

Preposterous close-up shots of Mature wrestling a noticeably stuffed lion are woefully intercut with notable shots of an actual lion pawing at a stunt double that, unfortunately, fails to even come close to matching Mature’s towering stature. (According to DeMille biographer Charles Higham, Mature was wildly afraid of the live, tamed and reportedly toothless lion.) Still, the film earns its “epic” classification during the finale, which begins with a blind, captured Samson being led into the Philistine’s public forum to be jeered by the hostile crowd. They yell, “Where’s your God now, Samson?” Even there though, strange inclusions derail the story as little people in wild costumes jab the penitent hero while Victor Young’s Oscar-nominated score supplies some peculiarly whimsical musical accompaniment. Nonetheless, when all is said and done, DeMille dramatically delivers a grandiose climax as Samson brings the colossal pagan temple down. This epic destruction of the stone temple holding hundreds of people makes the entire film worth pursuing as you watch an over 100-feet-high, built-to-scale temple tumble to the ground. Combined with the film’s beautiful Technicolor cinematography, it’s stunning.

As the cinema’s biggest hit in 1950, Samson and Delilah holds historic value in film history as the first of a “new wave” of biblical epics to hit the big screen. Most notably, it’s accurately considered Cecil B. DeMille’s rehearsal of sorts for what would come seven years later, his final film and biggest triumph, The Ten Commandments. Ultimately, while the DVD case boldly claimsSamson and Delilah is DeMille’s masterpiece, it’s not at all. That would be more deceptive than anything even Delilah could muster. DeMille created a much more satisfying religious epic in The Ten Commandments. This flawed 1949 flick is just an odd, lavish, brawny step in that direction. Even so, if you happen to adore DeMille’s movies, Samson and Delilah is assuredly for you. The new DVD release includes no special features or Blu-ray counterpart, but it does contain an incredible restoration of the film. The original negatives were cleaned and color corrected in 4K, which must have been an expensive, time-consuming restoration process.

Along with the visuals, the original audio track has been cleaned up by the restoration team, bringing this Paramount picture back to its intended glory. That, in itself, is surely a heroic feat fitting for any of DeMille’s films, even this one. Samson and Delilah Rating: Extras rating: Jeremiah Massengale is an assistant professor of communication arts at the University of the Cumberlands where he also advises the award-winning college newspaper. Share via VICTOR MATURE, MOVIE IDOL, DEAD AT 86 | New York Post New York Post Comment(required) August 10, 1999 | 4:00am Victor Mature, nicknamed “a beautiful hunk of a man” for his appearances in movie Westerns and historical epics – including John Ford’s classic “My Darling Clementine” – is dead at 86. Mature appeared in few movies since the 1960s, when he began living off investments in real estate and retail stores. But he cut a wide swath during his relatively short film career. Mature grew up in Louisville, Ky., and moved to California in the 1930s.

He refused to take any financial help from his family, working a variety of odd jobs while he studied at the Pasadena Playhouse, which trained many Hollywood stars. Mature began his rise to movie stardom with a small part in 1939’s “The Housekeeper’s Daughter,” a comedy directed by Hal Roach. The following year, the hulking Mature appeared in Roach’s “One Million B.C.,” playing the role of Tumak, a young caveman hunter. By 1946, he was a bona-fide star, playing Doc Holliday to Henry Fonda’s Wyatt Earp in “My Darling Clementine,” Ford’s version of the famous gunfight at the OK Corral. The following year, Mature starred with Richard Widmark in “Kiss of Death,” another classic that was made only because 20th Century Fox had a gap in its film schedule. Mature and Hedy Lamarr played the title roles in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1949 retelling of the biblical tale of “Samson and Delilah,” which was a smash hit. In one scene of that movie, Samson had to wrestle with a lion.

The lion had been tamed, and its teeth were pulled – but Mature was still scared. “I don’t want to be gummed to death,” he told DeMille. A stunt man tussled with the lion, and Mature did the close-ups with a lion skin. “I hate to get hurt,” Mature once said. “I’m no hero.” He appeared in another biblical movie, “The Robe,” in 1953, playing Demetrius, a slave to a Roman centurion portrayed by Richard Burton. He made only occasional film and TV appearances after his retirement – if the money was right. “I’m retired, not retarded,” he said. Mature’s careful financial management helped him retire early. “I made a lot of money,” he once explained, “and I wanted to enjoy life and play golf.” Mature liked to brag that he golfed four hours a day, six days a week. “I loaf very gracefully,” he said. He was a lot more careful with money than women. Mature, who dated Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner, was married five times. Mature said he didn’t miss Hollywood when he made his post-retirement film and TV appearances.

“The crews are the same, the food is lousy and everyone still passes the buck,” he said. He is survived by his wife, Lorey, and their daughter, Victoria, who just graduated from the opera program at the University of California at San Diego. Share this: Samson and Delilah Remind Me Samson and Delilah A classic love story inflated to superhuman scale, Samson and Delilah (1949) was one of Cecil B. DeMille's most successful biblical epics. This telling of the Old Testament tale stars Victor Mature as Samson, a playful and cocky Hebrew who suffers from an ill-fated attraction to Philistine women, particularly a golden-haired huntress named Semadar (Angela Lansbury). Through the machinations of Semadar's conniving advisors (led by George Sanders as Saran), Samson earns the hand of a Philistine woman in marriage. Instead of Semadar, they give him Delilah (Hedy Lamarr), whom he spurns, which sets in motion her elaborate plans to find the secret of Samson's strength, and avenge herself of the jilting.

DeMille had for years been attracted to the story of Samson and Delilah, but had been unable to refashion it into a plot suitable for a film. In his Autobiography, DeMille wrote, "Again and again I had gone back to the Book of Judges to read it; but every time I was stopped by the fact that I could not find the one thread that would tie together the separate incidents in Samson's life as it is recorded in the Bible. Then I came upon a little-known novel, Judge and Fool, by Vladimir Jabotinsky; and the problem was solved." Following Jabotinsky's design, DeMille combined two characters (the younger sister of Samson's first fiancée and Delilah), who appear to be separate people in the biblical text. This gives some motivation to Delilah's strange love/hate attitudes toward Samson which, in scripture, is not satisfactorily explained.

Although DeMille and his acolytes insist that his films are high-minded morality tales designed to encourage spiritual growth, most everyone else sees them for what they are: sexy spectacles designed to titillate the viewer, then absolve the conscience of guilt by ending on a note of religious piety. DeMille deflects these accusations thusly: "I am sometimes accused of gingering up the Bible with large and lavish infusions of sex and violence," he wrote in his autobiography, "I can only wonder if my accusers have ever read certain parts of the Bible. If they have, they must have read them through that stained-glass telescope which centuries of tradition and form have put between us and the men and women of flesh and blood who lived and wrote the Bible. Clothing them in what we think is reverence, we have too often stripped the men and women of the Bible of their humanity; and I believe that that same process strips them of much of their religious value, too." The balance of sin and salvation is nicely illustrated in an anecdote from Lamarr's lively 1967 autobiography, Ecstasy and Me: My Life as a Woman.

She recalls having cocktails at Romanoff's with a sleazy talent scout (whom she pseudonymously refers to as Sidney), who tries to seduce her by offering her an audience with DeMille, who was in the process of casting Samson and Delilah. "C.B.'s a genius at those things," Sidney says, "By the time he's through spreading the money and talent around, every man in the world will want to screw the heroine of that particular biblical drama. It's a natural; a guy with muscles, a broad with virginity." "Who plays Samson?" Lamarr asked. "They're thinking of Victor Mature. But who cares? It's only a body to set you off in the ruins. Muscles and tits sugarcoated with religion. It's for you." As repulsed as Lamarr was by Sidney's vulgar approach to filmmaking, she bit the carrot and met with the director. A few days later, the role was hers. Later, Lamarr's agent echoed Sidney's sentiments, "C.B. is brilliant. When it comes to sex and spectacle, no one can tear down a temple and tear off a piece at one and the same time like he can.

When he sells sex, sister, people buy because he wraps it in fancy paper with pink ribbons." Samson and Delilah was widely praised for its Technicolor beauty and the scale of production, but few took it seriously. On December 22, 1949, The New York Times wrote, "For Mr. DeMille, that veteran geni who has already engineered three quasi-religious film pageants that tower in the annals of the screen, has here led his carpenters and actors and costumers and camera crews into the vast manufacture of a spectacle that out-Babels anything he's done. There are more flowing garments in this picture, more chariots, more temples, more peacock plumes, more animals, more pillows, more spear-carriers, more beards and more sex than ever before. At least, that's the sizable impression which Mr. DeMille has achieved by bringing together the Old Testament and Technicolor for the first time." But critic Bosley Crowther then tagged his review with a sort of asterisk. "Does it all make for entertainment? That quite frankly depends. If you are looking for historical drama, for poetic tragedy - no.

But if you'll settle for gold-plated pageants, for muscular episodes and for graphic inducements to wolf-whistling, then Samson and Delilah is for you." DeMille may have been the master of Old Testament decadence, but in real life, he preferred a more pedestrian form of revelry. During production, DeMille invited Lamarr to accompany him to a Shriner's convention. "He wore a fez, this awesome filmmaker," Lamarr recalled. "As at most conventions, the men acted juvenile. I said to myself, 'These things I do for America.' Mr. DeMille lost some standing with me that night." DeMille reportedly spent $100,000 in researching the historical details of Samson, Delilah and the world in which they lived. The climactic destruction of the Philistine temple posed a particular problem. It had to be grandiose enough to provide the film with a spectacular finish, but it also had to be architecturally plausible. What kind of stone temple (capable of holding hundreds of people) could be supported by two columns in close proximity?

"The Bible does not give blueprints," DeMille wrote, "but we found a description of just such a building, and just such a spectacular collapse, in the writings of Pliny, the Roman historian of the first century A.D., and we constructed our temple set accordingly, with only such modifications and safeguards as the needs of our story required and modern engineering made possible." But what makes Samson and Delilah such a pleasurable viewing experience is not its efforts at historical accuracy (one wonders where the $100,000 could have possibly gone), but the outrageous liberties DeMille took in order to sell the Old Testament story to a post-WWII audience. Nowhere in the book of Judges does it indicate that the blinded Samson was ceremonially taunted by a brigade of dwarves. The New York Times was particularly amused by one of Samson's more anachronistic lines, "I'll use you for lion bait." The production design is nearly psychedelic, with every piece of Philistine armor looking newly-minted and freshly-polished, characters bathing in what looks like a chlorinated studio pond, and Delilah's makeup radiating unnatural Technicolor hues.

Originally, DeMille considered Burt Lancaster for the role of Samson, but began looking elsewhere when he learned the actor had a bad back. The director clearly intended the actor to live up to Samson's legendary feats of strength, so he chose the brawny and handsome Mature. Unfortunately, Mature had some difficulty in living up to the role. When the actor showed up for work somewhat overweight, DeMille ordered him to undertake a vigorous exercise regimen and lose 30 pounds of fat. According to DeMille biographer Charles Higham (a notorious scandal-monger), the director was shocked at Mature's repeated displays of cowardice: afraid of the live (reportedly toothless) lion, prop swords, water, and the wind machine. Higham writes that DeMille, exasperated with Mature's skittishness, took up his megaphone and shouted, for all the crew to hear, "I have met a few men in my time. Some have been afraid of heights, some have been afraid of water, some have been afraid of fire, some have been afraid of closed spaces. Some have even been afraid of open spaces -- or themselves.

But in all my 35 years of picture-making experience, Mr. Mature, I have not until now met a man who was 100 percent yellow." It is hard to imagine a director publicly humiliating a leading actor, but DeMille was known for such displays of arrogance and cruelty. Though she enjoys very little screen time, DeMille was particular about who should be in the role of Miriam, the virtuous woman whose love Samson ignores. In his acerbic memoir Whatever Happened to Hollywood?, co-screenwriter Jesse Lasky, Jr. (child of the founder of Paramount) recalled a discussion over the suggested casting of Olive Deering in the role: "'I want a Jewess!' [DeMille] grumbled petulantly, 'A Jewish Jewess! If there is such a thing.' "'She's a walking synagogue,' I assured him, 'Rebecca at the well!

If you'll only just see her sir.'" DeMille did consent to meet Deering, bringing her in and turning a bright spotlight on her face and loudly criticizing her appearance ("No camera on God's earth could photograph that face...Jesse, you have brought me the one actress in the world who cannot, I repeat cannot, be photographed from any angle!" According to Lasky, "Olive bore up wonderfully against this Gestapo-ish gesture, which had floored so many young actresses." Eventually DeMille tired of haranguing her and announced, "I think we've found our Miriam." A rabid red-baiter, DeMille was suddenly panicked when "a mysterious phone call from Washington," informed him that Deering's name "had appeared on 'one of the lists'" (Lasky). DeMille cross-examined Lasky, and then Lasky questioned Deering, gaining the necessary assurance that she was not a Communist. Satisfied, DeMille issued his command, "Get Washington.

Tell them -- if she's a DeMille actress, she's clean." In his memoirs, Lasky aptly observed, "The Boss regarded it as a matter of noblesse oblige to protect his own people from everyone. Except from himself!" DeMille and Lamarr frequently butted heads during the making of Samson. "C.B. is an egomaniac and in a way he has a right to be," Lamarr's agent warned her just before the shoot, "I anticipate you two will be fighting every inch of the way. He knows this too. My advice to you is, don't win the battles but lose the war." After the film's release, DeMille was interviewed about working with Lamarr, "We argued quite a bit but I respected Hedy... When I was blowing up, Hedy remained calm... Though I dread doing another picture with her because of our clash of temperaments, I have already asked her to star in The Greatest Show on Earth" (1952). Lamarr declined the offer. The role instead went to Betty Hutton who was the actress initially being considered for the role of Delilah, before Lamarr's fateful meeting with Sidney and C.B.

Explaining why she refused the role, Lamarr explained, "He took too much out of me. I don't even say I was right, but as a successful actress, I was entitled to cut my own pattern and let the others cut theirs." Samson and Delilah had a Herculean premiere at not one but two Manhattan palaces (the Rivoli and the Paramount, both located on West 43rd Street). The New York Times reported that an estimate 3,500 people swarmed the entrance to the Paramount, and another 2,000 queued up at the Rivoli. Produced at a cost of $3 million, Samson and Delilah earned an estimated $12 million at the box-office, making it Paramount's highest-grossing film to date. Come Oscar® season, it was the film's "pink ribbons," not its edifying message that received the most attention.

Samson and Delilah scored Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Score, and Best Visual Effects, and brought home the Oscars® for Art Direction (art directors Hans Dreier and Walter Tyler, and set decorators Sam Comer and Ray Moyer) and Costume Design (Edith Head, Dorothy Jeakins, Elois Jenssen, Gile Steele and Gwen Wakeling). Director: Cecil B. DeMille Screenplay: Fredric M. Frank and Jesse Lasky, Jr. Cinematography: George Barnes Production Design: Hans Dreier and Walter Tyler Music: Victor Young Cast: Victor Mature (Samson), Hedy Lamarr (Delilah), Angela Lansbury (Semadar), George Sanders (The Saran of Gaza), Olive Deering (Miriam), Russ Tamblyn (Saul), Henry Wilcoxon (Prince Ahtur). C-128m.

Question: Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr played the title roles in which 1949 Biblical film?
Answer: Samson and Delilah